Tenor sax great Gene Ammons was called The Boss years before Bruce Springsteen came along. This album from 1960 features Ammons as the only horn player, accompanied by a quartet including the incomparable Tommy Flanagan on piano and Art Taylor on drums. Not to be confused with Ammons' 1961 album Boss Tenors which featured guest Sonny Stitt.

The great tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons was of the generation of swing-era players that easily adapted to bop. But though he was a modernist, Ammons maintained that breathy, old-school romantic approach to the tenor. Boss Tenor, a quintet session from 1960, is one of Ammons' very best albums. Ray Barretto's congas subtly add a bit of Latin spice, but otherwise this is a collection of standards rendered with a gorgeous late-night bluesy feel. Accompaniment by Tommy Flanagan, one of the best mainstream pianists ever, certainly doesn't hurt, either. A gem.